There I was saying that there was no news to report on when suddenly a few newsworthy items appear. And that’s before factoring in Jimmy McGuinness’s new part-time gig over at Celtic, which is another story altogether.
The first item worth mentioning concerns the fixtures for next January’s FBD League, which I guess – if we’ve any decency – we should try to avoid winning. Or else send some class of a team over to New York in early October. Or whatever.
Because the lads will be off on their well-earned holliers at the start of the New Year, our 2013 FBD campaign doesn’t get underway until Sunday, 13th January, when we line out against Leitrim in Ballinamore (throw-in 2pm). We’re then down to play GMIT the following Wednesday (16th) and although this one has been put down as a 2pm start, Mayo GAA on Twitter were saying yesterday that it’s more likely to be a 7pm throw-in. Then the following Sunday (20th) we have that hardy annual January tussle with the Rossies in Ballyhaunis (throw-in 2pm for that one too). The Home Final is scheduled for the following Sunday (27th) and then, if anyone can be arsed, the World Final is on over in New York on 6th October. Full details on all the 2013 FBD League fixtures are here.
The second bit of news concerns last night’s appointment of former minor jefe Tony Duffy as U21 manager in succession to Ray Dempsey. The Ballintubber man had an indifferent enough spell as minor manager and so his appointment to the U21 post isn’t, I guess, one to set the pulses racing. Then again, after the great job Ray did with the minors there were high hopes of even greater feats under him with the U21s but that never happened. Could Tony prove a surprise packet as U21 manager? Time will tell, I suppose, but the best of luck to him in any event. His replacement as minor manager is due to be named next week.
Incidentally, details of next year’s Connacht championship fixtures at minor, U21, junior and senior have now all been officially unveiled as have the fixtures in next year’s Connacht minor football league.
Do the clowns in the county board care one bit about grassroots football? The u21 competition is by far the best gauge of talent (at a level indicative of what may be required at senior level). Ray Dempsey was a disaster as u21 manager. For three years he ran the team utterly pathetically, creating an atmosphere now where young roscommon teams are not only capable of beating us, but ones that think they cant lose to us as they are defeating us year in and year out.
And what do we replace him with? A man who was just as bad running the minor team.
Very depressing news.
I am afraid I will agree with johnboy
Duffy is likely a very nice man, I am not here to knock him personally, foot all wise I am going to knock him down and steamroll him for taking this job.
He is far too soft if the Meath game in croker is anything to use as a gauge, no fire in him at all that day. He stood watching as Meath were allowed to do as they pleased.
I don’t know! Maybe get sent into the stands or something but never allow another team to get away with hitting your men like they did.
It’s a mayo thing though, varley in the senior semi final got his nose busted and was being dragged around the ground while his teammates stood by wondering what to do, crazy, what would a dub,kerry,Tyrone or cork team mate do if mayo hit their teammate?
Luckily we have one or two that take no 5hit but more are going to need to man up.
Agree with the two lads
Tony oversaw two All ireland semi final collapses. Against Tyrone two years ago and against Meath. He has been uninspiring to say the least on the line, and what I noticed was on the bad days he just stayed on the sideline never going near his players when the final whistle blew. I can’t imagine he will inspire too many of them. We have ruined our good record at this grade and with a likely game against Galway we face wasting the chance to develop another generation.
I think the County Board is an obstacle to many who want to have a cut. They know they are unlikely to get the support. There are fellas like Peter Forde, Noel Connolly ,Colm Mc, David Brady, Liam McHale to mention a few who would all be inspirational to young lads but nobody thinks like that. Tony is somebody they will be able to push around to follow their tune.
Ray Dempsey was Mayo’s minor manager in 2008,09 that narrowly beat Roscommon so it wasn’t a surprise they lost narrowly to them at U21 level. Underage football in Connacht is highly competitive far more than senior level the only team not doing well is Leitrim. To say Dempsey was a disaster is disrespectful to the other teams.
Duffy minors this year should have reached the All Ireland final and whoever comes out of the Connacht U21 championship will be one of the favourites to win the All Ireland.
@ David, I seem to remember after the Varley incident, several Mayo players, particularly Cillian O’Connor, went and got stuck in.
@ M02012 – Roscommon beat our Mayo U21 team fairly handily this year down in Kiltoom.
Having said that, the appointment’s been made now, we might as well row in behind Tony Duffy (if not the county board), and judge him on results and performance rather than pre-judging him.
Would like to see Noel C, David B or Peter F given a shot a minor and in Noel C’s case U21 again, not Liam McHale though after all he was not exactly a roaring success in his role with Clare ….
Jimmy Mc Guinness interesing move, Tyrone odds for Ulster have just shortened. How about James Horan taking a job as performance coach with Rangers in October 2013 to help then get back to the Scottish Premier League ! after of course leading Mayo to the promised land…..
Now that Ballintubber have both senior and under 21 county managers, do people think that this is a good move ? Everythng now seems to be geared towards the senior team, know it has been the case since Johnno took over in 2007 but looks like it is official now. Under 21 team gets squeezed out. One time the club final was in may now its in the middle of November. Pity.
Not exactly thinking outside the box with this appointment. Who has got the minor job?
If you from Ballintubber you have a head start for the minor job. The home if the Mayo manager it seems.
There is alot of daft and biased comments displayed above. The appointment of Tony Duffy has nothing to do with him being a Ballintubber man. Is it known by you lot that he is the most qualified coach in Mayo if not Connacht. He has all the coaching requirements and he did his best with the Mayo Minor job. Tony Duffy has won alot with St. Louis in Kiltimagh and he set the standard in Ballintubber in 2007. Look at the success of the club since 2007. James Horan will tell you that alot of the success achieved by Ballintubber is down to Duffy who started getting the players focused and applying themselves to Gaelic Football.
Against Tyrone in the All Ireland final the better team won. The management couldnt have done anything more that day. Against Meath Mayos biggest critics namely Brolly, Spillane and Colm O Rourke admitted after the game that Mayo were very harshly treated by the referee as both of Meaths goals came from decisions made by a man who didnt know the rules. Management can do nothing about that even when they questioned the officials.
Judge Tony Duffy on his record after his U21 tenure. The fact he is a nice guy has nothing to do with it. The man can improve any footballer and there will be no stone left unturned by him and his team to improve the fortunes of a very decent U21 team. The last few years have been more than disappointing at U21 level. Players like Cillian O Connor and Darren Coen are at their last year playing underage for Mayo. With Adam Gallagher, Ryan Quirke, Patrick Durcan and Kevin Lynch to name a few Mayo will challenge any county with an organised and dedicated team. Im very optimistic and im looking forward to 2013 with the classy players Mayo have and the management team that will strive for silverware for our county. Up Mayo.
Well said, Patriot – Tony deserves to be judged on his record in the job as U21 manager and not to be prejudged in advance.
Our U21s and Minor results have been pathetic over the recent past. Particularly inept at constructing forward moves leading to scoring opportunities. The classic Mayo failing at all levels of course is the total lack of awareness of how to protect a lead – keep the ball stupid. Don’t hold your breath in anticipation of any Mayo club or county coach learning such a basic sine qua non.
John C, for someone who pours words onto paper
With elequance normally, your last post is just pathetic .
Andy Moran, Cillian O’Connor, Alan Dillon, Lee Keegan, Cillian O’Connor and Kevin McLoughlin are named to play in the All Stars teams exhibition match in New York next weekend. Nice for Kevin to get to go – are Andy and Cillian not injured?
Patriot I agree 100%. Give Tony Duffy and his selectors a chance. We in Mayo sometimes judge our county managers very harshly and often unfairly on the basis of flimsy evidence.
MJQ – I thought our minors gave an exhibition of forward play against Tipp and for the first 40 minutes against Meath.Granted it stopped at that point BUT a lousy ref messed us about and we lost two players through an unfortunate clash of heads who up to that point were having a major impact on the game.
The best way I have found to protect a lead is to try and extend it……..and not to try to play ‘keep ball’.
I am not from Ballintubber but I have seen enough of their underage teams and suffered plenty of defeats at their hands down the years. I can only admire the great work that was done in that club! Fair play to Tony Duffy and a lot of other good lads in Ballintubber.
The Mayo lads should pull out of that All-Star trip to New York , waste of time heading over there 😉
According to the WP, the minor job is between Enda Gilvarry of Killala, and a joint ticket of John Kelly and Vinnie Gavin, who were with the Mayo Juniors this year.
Mayo’s U17s are doing well they recently beat Galway and Roscommon. A good minor manager in place and we could be looking at our first Minor Connacht title for three years.
According to Terry Reilly on Twitter, Enda Gilvarry named as Mayo minor boss.
Season ticket!!! is there anywhere it explains what you get and dont get etc, novice applicant here.
Is that the Cairde Mhaigh Eo ticket, or the GAA season ticket?
Interesting (rather presumptuous) article in the CT here about the upcoming FBD league, thoughts?
A fairly bizarre article in the CT. I couldn’t see who wrote it from the web version, but it’s someone who obviously has decided they have no time for Horan and are going out of their way to cause a stir.
I couldn’t make much sense of the argument over the FBD either:
– He needs to find 3 new players. Apparently he can’t do this because the panel are going to Miami in January for training and have postponed first FBD game
– He should be using the FBD to blood these players (Mayo will still be playing their full quota of FBD games)
– But never mind the FBD anyway, it’s useless, and A v B games are where the real competition is
– This reporter said Conroy and Boyle should have been brought into the panel last year. But Horan is too stubborn to do it, even though he did do it…
– Donie Buckley isn’t a patch on Cian O’Neill, and we’ll never be as fit again.
How do these people get access to the papers? He sounds like joe brolly, all talk but makes no sense.
Sean, 85 yoyos for the season ticket gets you all Mayo games, all other NFL games, free championship v Galway, fiver off other games, All Ireland ticket if we are there. Its a no brainer.
Cairde Mayo is 200 yoyos for the same with club games. You may get a jacket, alot of us didnt and there was to be a lotto for members but that didnt happen.
Grma, steve austin.
As John Cuffe has pointed out on Twitter, very interesting article concerning the appointment of underage managers in the Advertiser today:
http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/56994/mcstay-and-mchale-are-doing-a-great-job
Good spot Digits – these promising players are being let down by poor devision making in the committee room